Land Combat Tactics

[morphin]

I have searched the forum but didn't find anything about Best Land Combat Tactics

For Example Attacking a hex with 2 Entrenchment and you have 2 or 3 adjacent units. Both side have bomber and air units also in Range. You have a little bit better air units.

Do you first fight for local air superiority? Then use tactical bomber? and then start Land Combat?
So what is your order to attack land? Do you attack with all land units at once? or first start to soften with (a weaker) unit? And make a second attack with the remaining units? If you have a tank or mechanized unit. Do you use it for first round of attack?.

I know it depends also on the strength and terrain and other factors also, but i hope to find a general guide for example grouped for 4-5 Different situations

Thank's

[OxfordGuy3]

I too am perplexed about some of these questions, also when to use bombers to directly support land attacks and when to use them in "mission mode" and when to use both!

[kennonlightfoot]

On Close Support by air units you usually want to keep the bombers in mission mode if you want to be able to use them to support your own attacks. This keeps them from using up their action points during the other players turn.

One of the key uses of Close Support attacks is to reduce the entrenched levels before you attack with the land units. This happens even if you don't see any indication of a loss by the defender from the strikes but I don't know what the odds are of it.

Whether you attack first with weaker (usually infantry) units first or not depends on the tactical situation. If I have infantry starting adjacent I will use them first even if it isn't as good of odds as I would get moving up larger units. They are cheaper to rebuild and it saves your armor for breakthroughs. If nothing is adjacent at start then it is a tactical choice based on what you have and what you want to accomplish.

[ncc1701e]

Few things:
1. Put all your fighters in full support mode
2. Put all your bombers in mission only
3. Check the odds for your attack. If it is 2:1 or less, do not attack
4. Use one bomber to attack the enemy unit once
5. Check if the attack odds have changed
6. Check the damage done to enemy fighters
7. Do a second bombing run
8. Check if the attack odds have changed
9. Check the damage done to enemy fighters
...

If the odds have changed to 3:1, good
If the odds are still 2:1, the unit has lost effectiveness with the bombs. How many air attack to do? Depends on the situation.

Ready to attack?

Put one CAS bomber in full support mode to support your land attack
Take all the land units to perform your land attack

Attacking with a single unit to soften the enemy unit will in fact soften you.

[morphin]

Great! Thank you very much

[ncc1701e]

The best is to perform an attack at 7:1 because, starting 7:1, there is a risk that the enemy unit shatters. This is a good thing for a breakthrough.
Good attack odds start at 3:1.

Try to avoid 2:1 but sometimes you cannot. So, in this case, bombers are your friends.

[OxfordGuy3]

Thanks ncc1701e! A few further questions -

1) Do initial air-only bombing attacks reduce entrenchment levels? Kennonlightfoot above suggests they do, but I thought I'd read elsewhere that they don't.

2) Do you ever leave your bombers in full support mode during your opponent's turn? I'm not sure that this is usually worth it, as you can't predict which units they will defensively support, unless there are very few options.

3) Is it necessary to leave bombers in full support mode in order to perform naval air interceptions versus moving enemy ships in their turn? I'm guessing so, but that could be risky to do, if also in range of land units you have which may be in range of attacks by enemy land units, as wouldn't their support be used there instead, if a land attack was made before their naval movement?

[ncc1701e]

1) I am not sure it is reducing the entrenchment levels. It is reducing the effectiveness for me but I might be wrong.

2) Not usually except if I am expecting an attack on hexes I want to keep. In this case, I am putting bombers and fighters in full support mode. And, depending on the situation, I am activating the "Hold" mode for the land units.

3) Yes this is mandatory. But I have never face the situation you are describing. Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes not. [;)]

[OxfordGuy3]

Actually for 3), if the air unit is in Support Mode, but has the Naval Air mission selected, will it *only* attempt naval interceptions during the enemy turn i.e. will it *not* be called in to support any friendly ground unit within range being attacked, or do the Air Mission modes only affect player-directed offensive air missions? I suspect the latter, but the former would actually be more useful in most cases IMHO

[ncc1701e]

Honestly, I have no idea. Alvaro can perhaps tell how this is working. Or, setup a game in hotseat mode and try to see if there is any difference.

[ago1000]

ORIGINAL: ncc1701e

Few things:
1. Put all your fighters in full support mode
2. Put all your bombers in mission only
3. Check the odds for your attack. If it is 2:1 or less, do not attack
4. Use one bomber to attack the enemy unit once
5. Check if the attack odds have changed
6. Check the damage done to enemy fighters
7. Do a second bombing run
8. Check if the attack odds have changed
9. Check the damage done to enemy fighters
...

If the odds have changed to 3:1, good
If the odds are still 2:1, the unit has lost effectiveness with the bombs. How many air attack to do? Depends on the situation.

Ready to attack?

Put one CAS bomber in full support mode to support your land attack
Take all the land units to perform your land attack

Attacking with a single unit to soften the enemy unit will in fact soften you.

Thanks, these are great.
-entrenchment levels are not effected and full support with Naval Bombardment will participate in land combat. Remembering naval interdiction occurs on enemy turn.

[malkarma]

If I don´t remeber bad, air units in support mode will join land attacks even if you have set them to naval air.

[battlevonwar]

When attacking one hex I don't micro this much!

When making a battle I micro it cause if someone tells you they don't they can lose the game on 1 front! I know the Programmer didn't intend for his game to be played this way but it's the only way to win in PBEM where say the Americans pump in '44 Interceptors with Truck Supply into Hammering your Air then you're neutered!

Have plenty of Truck Supply, get that effectiveness way up! Make sure you use your Armor and and Infantry Together but leave retreat paths(units can retreat only 2 deep to the 3rd hex) Push hard and odds matter unless the hex is VITAL. Cas and Bomb the hell out of the unit you want to remove, especially those on cities or tough terrain. I try to avoid the tough terrain and go around it and remove everything else first!

This is the way you fight warplan on a tactical level. You rinse repeat this and get very good at it while you do it. Make sure you got a 9 Combat General too while you're at it. Also try to force your opponent to retreat when he has units that are 3 deep with on retreat path. Try conserve your Air Strength(they take forever to recover and once below 14 or so and very low effectiveness will be hard to get back up) Armor wears out fast but infantry tends to last longer(as it attacks less) Trucks and Push, and think way head. Give yourself a TON of wiggle room...Sometimes the odds calculator is off! Units on tough Locations can hammer you! Beware losing your effectiveness/HP vs Maginots!

[malkarma]

ORIGINAL: OxfordGuy3

Thanks ncc1701e! A few further questions -

1) Do initial air-only bombing attacks reduce entrenchment levels? Kennonlightfoot above suggests they do, but I thought I'd read elsewhere that they don't.

2) Do you ever leave your bombers in full support mode during your opponent's turn? I'm not sure that this is usually worth it, as you can't predict which units they will defensively support, unless there are very few options.

3) Is it necessary to leave bombers in full support mode in order to perform naval air interceptions versus moving enemy ships in their turn? I'm guessing so, but that could be risky to do, if also in range of land units you have which may be in range of attacks by enemy land units, as wouldn't their support be used there instead, if a land attack was made before their naval movement?

1) No. The only way to reduce entrench levels is with the artillery speciality.
2) Only if I expect attacks over a position that I need to hold. But I think that this is more a personal choice than a dogma.
3) Yes. But is important to remember that a bomber in support mode will intercept enemy fleets and/or support land attacks regardless of its mission mode, whatever happens first. Also, units under 50% effectiveness or with too many loses can't be set to suppot mode.

[malkarma]

ORIGINAL: battlevonwar

Make sure you got a 9 Combat General too while you're at it.

I have a doubt. Which general do you think is better to lead an offensive (attack-mobility-tenacity):
1) 7-8-5 (Guderian)
2) 8-6-5 (an upgraded von Küchler)
3) 9-4-4 (upgraded Model)

I'm a bit lost about the actual influence of the generals in the combats due my lack of knowledge about how exactly their skills affect the combat units.

[OxfordGuy3]

How do generals get "upgraded"?

[ComadrejaKorp]

You will have seen that they improve automatically during the game, I imagine that it happens due to the experience obtained in combat by the troops under their command, sometimes the HQ improvement message appears after the opponent's turn when they have attacked their troops.
If you ask about the exact mechanics I don't know it.

[ComadrejaKorp]

+ Attack - will cause more casualties
+ Mobility - enemy will retreat earlier
+ Tenacity- your troops will maintain position longer even if they suffer more losses

IMHO, for an offensive tenacity is less important (better if it is low to facilitate retreat of the unit if it is exposed at the end of your turn), + Attack if you want to inflict casualties + Mobility if you want to break the front line or advance.

[ncc1701e]

ORIGINAL: morphin

I have searched the forum but didn't find anything about Best Land Combat Tactics

For Example Attacking a hex with 2 Entrenchment and you have 2 or 3 adjacent units. Both side have bomber and air units also in Range. You have a little bit better air units.

Do you first fight for local air superiority? Then use tactical bomber? and then start Land Combat?
So what is your order to attack land? Do you attack with all land units at once? or first start to soften with (a weaker) unit? And make a second attack with the remaining units? If you have a tank or mechanized unit. Do you use it for first round of attack?.

I know it depends also on the strength and terrain and other factors also, but i hope to find a general guide for example grouped for 4-5 Different situations

Thank's

I just remembered that I did something a little detailed here:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4853219

Cheers